Interesting Links for 25-06-2020

[andrewducker]

Three British trans scientists who deserve to be known better

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1275693659606876160.html
(tags:science UK transgender LGBT )

UK to launch world's largest genetic study into chronic fatigue syndrome (if you have it then they're looking for volunteers)

(tags:ChronicFatigueSyndrome research UK GoodNews )

Mumsnet users threaten drag queen for wanting to read books to kids

(tags:OhForFucksSake bigotry LGBT UK transgender )

No matter what else you think of Apple, their ability to execute is amazing

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1275311056672325633.html
(tags:Apple technology organisation )

Easing lockdown rules in Scotland: What will change next - and when?

(tags:Scotland pandemic )

Concerns raised about pubs collecting data for coronavirus tracing

(tags:pandemic surveillance dataprotection uk Doom )

Wetherspoon's discourse is an impressively deep rabbit hole

(tags:alcohol jobs pandemic capitalism UK )

When Nazis watch Star Wars

(tags:StarWars Nazis racism movies )

Pound sterling as unstable as developing country currency due to Brexit, say analysts

(tags:UK currency Doom )

Can you 3D print Damascus steel? Pretty much, yeah

(tags:swords materials 3dprinting )

Top private school asks teachers to exaggerate exam predictions to help students get into university

(tags:school fraud UK )

Comments

[cmcmck]

I was well aware of Lyn Conway, but wasn't aware of the guys or the other girls.

[ninetydegrees]

"No matter what else you think of Apple, their ability to execute is amazing"

Hm. Never owned any Apple product. They're definitely amazing at terrible working (factory) conditions, bosses behaving like unprofessional jerks, little diversity in their company, and avoiding paying taxes. Much like many other big companies of course. Makes me wonder what their ability to execute would be like if they played fair?

[calimac]

Apple thread is unintelligible to this non-techie.

"Nazis watch Star Wars": link to "Nazis watch LOTR" is broken, but I got into it elsewise: it's here.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, the Apple one relies on a bunch of industry knowledge I'm afraid.

Thank you for the link, it was an odd mixture of horrifying and hilarious.

[hutchingsmusic]

Thanks, signed up for the ME/CFS study.

Weatherspoons

[danieldwilliam]

I am conflicted about a boycott of Weatherspoons.

My reasons for not drinking in Weatherspoons include

Tim Martin as a human being

Tim Martin's politics on Brexit

Weatherspoons labour relations

The quality of most of their pubs. (The Caley Picture House being an exception.)

I'm sympathetic to Weatherspoons' workers who are organising. A boycott, if it is effective, will hurt Weatherspoons' finances and is likely to hurt, in the short term at least, Weatherspoons' workers.

However, their political interests are not *perfectly* aligned with mine.

Leave to one side the issues of Tim Martin's support for Brexit and assume that my sole focus is punishing companies who treat their workers badly. The workers of Weatherspoons would like, I think, that Weatherspons be reformed, recognise and negotiate with their union, improve pay and conditions and that workers retain their jobs. I also would like those things. However, I'm looking at the situation with a much more general focus than Weatherspoons' workers. I'd like all companies to treat their workers well. I'm not saying Weatherspoons' workers don't want this too but their immediate focus ought to be on their own conditions of employment and they suffer the downside of specific action against Weatherspoons but benefit less from improvements to the general situation of workers. There is some element of a tradgedy of the commons about this.

I might want to *destroy* Weatherspoons through a boycott in order to further my aim of a *general* improvement in working conditions by a) removing a specifically bad employer and therefore improving the average conditions of work b) removing a specifically bad employer and creating an opportunity for, on average, better employers to expand c) demonstrating *customer* power and *customer* desire for good employment conditions (as distinct from worker power) and d) scaring other questionable employers by making them watch the destruction of Weatherspoons so they take pre-emptive action to improve in case I come for them next.

Those further my political objectives with some cost to Weatherspoons' staff. ("Some cost" being unquantified at the moment and depending on the general economic background which is not good for them at the moment.)

In addition - the credible threat by customers to damage or destroy Weatherspoons *might* provide the workers with some practical support in their campaign by allowing the worker to point to the worsening financial picture and say "this dispute with us is damaging *both* of us, only we, the workers, can call off the customers. Do a deal to save us both. We can find other pubs to work in, you can not find other pubs to own if you are bankrupt."

I acknowledge that the workers themselves do not appear to want this leverage. Are they correct in their assessment of their own tactical position? Can they control the intervention of well-intentioned customers or should they tactically accept that "help" they don't want is coming anyway? Answers on a postcard to Tim Martin.

The second area where Weatherspoons' staff and my political objectives divurge is that Weatherspoons' staff might settle for a mere improvement in their conditions on the ground that half a loaf is better than no bread which falls short of my aspirations for minimum standards of pay and conditions in the entire labour market. I wouldn't blame them for settling earlier than I would like them to settle but that is not the same as our objectives being completely aligned.

Bluntly, my political interests might be better served by burning Weatherspoons to the ground financially and the political interests of actual Weatherspoons' staff might be better served by a minimal reform of conditions in one company.